Volunteers are needed to help grade 2 students learn to read.
“The Elementary Literacy Program trains community volunteers to work one on one with students in elementary schools all across the province. We are in 120 schools in the province in the Anglophone sector,” says Program Manager Catherine Barry.
To make the program a success, around 30 more volunteers are needed for the winter session. But they generally need 300 to 400 volunteers each session.
Barry says helping a child improve their literacy skills is a very gratifying experience, “The time spent one on one with a student who just needs a little boost in confidence in reading is so valuable. All these students need a lot of the time is just an extra push, from someone else, other than from their teachers or their parents.”
She says on average, students improve their reading skills by two levels with the help of an ELF volunteer.
Volunteers attend a three hour training session on January 21st, and you are also required to get a criminal background check done.
They work with a student twice a week for ten weeks, at a specific school.
Barry says they’re looking for a commitment from the end of January to around March.
“Teachers find after working with a volunteer to improve their literacy skills, the students are more willing to put their hand up in class and participate in the classroom. With that extras boost of confidence, it is so important at that age, it is a critical age in their reading development. They also can succeed in other areas of their schooling as well, not just literacy,” Barry says.
Research has shown that if a child isn’t reading well by the end of grade 2, they are more likely to have trouble moving forward in their academic career.
For more information on becoming a volunteer, visit the Elementary Literacy Friends website.
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